On an Improved Diagnosis Program

One of the more promising areas of computer use involves the coupling of a man to a computer system for real-time problem-solving where the procedure for solution of the problem is either unknown or involves complex tasks, such as pattern recognition, that can best be performed by humans [1]. Unfortunately, a straightforward approach to such use commits significant amounts of computer time most of which is spent idling. The imbalance in operating costs, assignable to the human and the computer, argues against computer use unless the total gain over strictly manual operations is sufficiently great.